There are a multitude of systems available for users to remotely monitor apparatuses, such as household appliances and devices, via wireless transmission of sensor data to a user's computing device. The systems have limitations, though, in their capacity to monitor more than one type of sensor and/or apparatus, and to wireless exchange information in real-time with a remotely located user. They also require the apparatuses that are housing the sensor to include electronic components for analyzing the sensor data before wirelessly transmitting it. This requires extra costs in the production of the apparatuses with sensors. And, in most cases, the systems can only transmit sensor data to a user's computing device, but they are not enabled to receive commands from the user's computing device to control the operation of the apparatus.
For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 7,722,248 entitled “Wireless Remote Cooking Thermometer System” discloses a system comprising a temperature probe connected via a cable to a radio frequency (RF) transmitter device for sending temperature data wirelessly to a second RF receiver unit. The RF transmitter is unable to process data from any sensor type other than a temperature sensor. The system also has limited capacities because the second unit (i.e. a user's computing device) is only able to receive sensor data, but not to transmit control commands to the first unit, such as to turn off the oven.
Therefore, there is a need for a device that wirelessly exchanges information with a user's computing device comprising sensor data and control commands for monitoring of a wide variety of apparatuses. Only one device would be required to monitor a multitude of sensors types housed within different apparatuses, such as temperature and weight sensors for cooking, humidity and barometric pressure for weather conditions, water sprinkler on/off controls for lawn maintenance, and so forth. And, the apparatuses should not be required to house additional electronic components to analyze the sensor data, as this is accomplished by a software application on the user's computing device.